Disinfecting and fumigating apparatus.



N0. $563,955. Patented Feb. l2, IQUI. J. H. SEMMES.

DISINFECTING AND FUMIGATING APPARATUS.

(Application filed June 28. 1900 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

(No Model.)

T715 nonms PETERS cu, mmolnmo. wasumcma. n. c.

lNo. mamas. Patented Feb. l2, I901.

I JIH. SEMMES. DISINFECTING AND FUMIGAUNG APPARATUS (Application flied June 28, 1900.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(Ho Modal.)

2 awoew F01,

/I/////////////////////// i G m: uonms PETERS co Puomumu, WASHINGTON, D, c.

Maurine a rhs JOHN HERBERT SElVIIVIES, OF MERIDIAN, MISSISSIPPI.

Ulfill lFECTlG AND FUWIIGATING APPARATUS.

SPECIFIGATIDN formingpart of Letters Patent N 0. 668,055, dated February 12, 1901.

Application filed June 28, 1900 Serial N0- ZLQGO- (N0 model.)

To ctZZ whmn it nuty concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN HERBERT SEMMEs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Meridian, in the county of Lauderdale and State of Mississippi, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Disinfecting and Fumigating Apparatus; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and eXact description. of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in apparatus for fumigating and disinfecting purposes; and it consists in the novel device hereinafter described and claimed.

Mypresent invention is particularly adapted for use in connection with the apparatus shown and described in my patent dated August 25, 1896, No. 566,628.

My present invention will be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein the same parts are indicated by the same letters of reference throughout the several views.

Figure l is a central vertical longitudinal sectional view of one form of my disinfecting or fumigating cabinet, the parts being broken away. Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line 2 2 in Fig. 1 and looking down. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing a modified form of cabinet, the same being of a double form; and Fig. 4: is a section taken on the line 4 4 in Fig. 3 and looking down.

The present apparatus consists mainly of a box or cabinet A, closed on all sides except for an opening A in its bottom, to which is connected an inlet fine or pipe A for the passage of fumes, vapors, or gases generated by means of any convenient apparatus-such, for instance, as that shown and described in my patent hereinbefore referred to. The top of the cabinet is provided with a hinged cover A which is removable at will, and the said cover A is provided with a slot a leading from the outer end thereof. A slide A fitting in a slideway a on the under side of the cover A is provided for partially or entirely closing the said slot a as desired.

At one end of the cabinet A is provided a compartment B for receiving and holding the lamp B or other heating device. This compartment B is preferably fitted with transparencies at each side thereof, as seen at Z), Z), and b and one of these transparencies, such as W, is in the form of a hinged door or WindoW, which allows ready access to the interior of the compartment B for any purpose.

An opening or passage A through the upper portion of the partition A which separates the interior of the cabinet A from the compartment B, is provided and is fitted with a vertically-sliding closure A, by means of which the size of the opening or passage A may be varied and regulated at will.

A deflector B arranged transversely of one side of the compartment B, is fixed at one edge, as at 19 to the partition A and extends over into the upper portion of the compartment B with an upward inclination. The upper Wall of the compartment B is provided with an opening B fitted with a contracted fine or stack B extending above the said opening, and said deflector 13 extends approximately half-way across the said opening B,thus forming a draft-passage b from the passage A to the said opening B and the draft-flue B Small draft-openings b are provided at the bottom of the Walls of the compartment B forsupplying air to support combustion within the said compartment, and a hood, preferably in the form of a truncated cone, as seen at B, is mounted above the lamp or other heating device for conducting the heat upwardly therethrough.

The apparatus is intended principally for disinfecting and fumigating persons or arti cles of clothing subjected to contagious or infectious diseases, and the fumes, gases, or vapors used for accomplishing the disinfecting or fumigating are drawn into the cabinet A through the pipe or fine A. This pipe A is preferably provided with a valve or damper A by means of which the passage there through may be regulated or closed, and for the sake of convenience the said valve or damper is provided with an operating rod or handle 0%. In use the fine or pipe A would be buried under the earth, and the said rod a extending a convenient distance above the surface of the earth, allows a convenient manipulation of the damper A The cabinet may be partially or entirely above the level of the earth.

When the apparatus is in operation, the

person or article to be fumigated is placed in the cabinet A. In the case of a person the slot (1 in the cover A allows the persons head to be above the cover, and by means of a slide A the said slot may be almost entirely closed. If desired, however, the person may be entirely inclosed within the cabinet A and the slot 0, partially or entirely closed by means of the slide A or the cover A may be entirely removed and the operation thus carried out.

My apparatus is so constructed that the fumes or vapors are drawn through the passage A into the upper portion of the com-* partment B, and thus escape through the opening B and flue B the heat of the lamp or other heating device B within said compartment creating the necessary draft upwardly through the flue B The rapidity with which the said gases or fumes are drawn from the cabinet A is regulated by means of the slide A. It has been found in practice that by nearly closing the passage A by means of the slide A a strong draft is created through the said passage and that the vapors or fumes may be caused to pass rapidly through the said passage; but by opening the said passage wider the movements of the fumes or gases in the cabinet A may be retarded and given a billowing effect within the said cabinet, and this latter is particularly true where the cover of the cabinet is' left partially or entirely open.

The apparatus shown in Figs. 3 and 4 is substantially the same in construction and operation to that shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the difference being that the cabinets A A in the said Figs. 3 and 4 are connected to a single common ventilating or draft compartment 0. This ventilating or draft compartment 0 contains a lamp or other heating device 0 and is fitted with glass Windows or doors a and c and provided with lower draft-openings 0 Within the upper portion of the said com partment 0 are fitted inclined deflectors 0 0 secured to the partitions A A of the cabinets A A in like manner as the inclined deflector B (Shown in Fig. 1.) Two passages are thus formed in the upper portion of the compartment 0, leading from the openings A A in the partitions and wallsof the cabinets A A to the central upper draft-opening O in the top wall of the compartment 0, which draftopening is provided with a draft-flue C A heat-director O in the form of a truncated cone is also mounted above the lamp or the heating device C for assisting in directing the draft upwardly.

Instead of the hinged cover A upon the cabinets A a removable cover of oil-cloth or some other similar flexible material or fabric may be used, if desired. Slides of difierent widths partially or entirely closing the slot at in the cover may be used.

As shown in Fig.1, I provide a damper, such as 12 in the stack 13 for the purpose of closing the same, if desired. The purpose of closing this stack would be to cause the fumes .which enter the box A to pass out of the box at the top or through any opening or openings therein, and so diffuse themselves about the room or inclosure within which the box A is located. With the damper 5 closed the lamp or other draft-creating device B would of course be omitted. In this manner a hospital-ward or pest-house might be disinfected or fumigated and also any persons or clothing therein.

Having thusdescribedmy invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is.-

1. In a fumigating and disinfecting apparatus, the combination with a closed box or cabinet having a vapor-inlet in its bottom, and having a removable cover; of a compartment arranged in juxtaposition to the said cabinet a partition provided with a passage communicating with the upper portion of said cabinet and said compartment, a heating device in the said compartment, a deflector fixed in the upper portion of said compartment beneath the said passage, means for regulating the size of the opening through said passage, and adraft-flue mounted above the said compartment, substantially as described.

2. In a fumigating and disinfecting apparatus, the combination with a closed box or cabinet having a vapor-inlet in its bottom, a cover hinged upon the said cabinet and provided with an opening leading to one edge thereof; and a slide mounted in the said cover closing the said opening; of a compartment arranged in juxtaposition to the said cabinet a partition provided with a passage communicating with the upper portion of said cabinet and said compartment, a heating device in the said compartment, a deflector fixed in the upper portion of said compartment beneath the said passage, means for regulating the size of the opening through said passage, and a contracted draft-flue mounted above said compartment, substantially as described.

3. In a fumigating and disinfecting apparatus, the combination with a closed box or cabinet having a vapor-inlet in its bottom, and having a removable cover, and a vaporflue connected with the said inlet-opening; of a compartment arranged in juxtaposition to the said cabinet a partition provided with a passage communicating with the upper portion of said cabinet and said compartment, a heating device in the said compartment, a deflector fixed in the upper portion of said compartment beneath the said passage,means for regulating the size of the opening through said passage, and a draft-flue mounted above the said compartment, substantially as described.

4. In a fumigating and disinfecting apparatus,.the combination with a closed box or cabinet having a vapor-inlet in its bottom, and having a removable cover; a vapor-flue connected with the said inlet-opening; and a damper or valve in the said flue of a compartecaoss inent arranged in juxtaposition to the said cabinet a partition provided with a passage communicating with the upperportion of said cabinet and said compartment, a heating device in the said compartment, a deflector fixed in the npperportion of said compartmentbeneath the said passage, means for regulating the size of the opening through said passage, and a draftflue mounted above the said compartment, substantially as described.

5. In an apparatus for fnmigating and disinfecting purposes, the combination with the closed cabinet A having inlet-opening A and flue A connected therewith, and a removable cover for the said cabinet; of a compartment l3 separated from the cabinet A by the partition-wall A, said partition-Wall having an opening A at its upper edge, a slideway onl the said partition, a slide A arranged to vary the size of said opening; the inclined deflector B mounted Within the compartment B and fixed at its lower edge to the said partition A said compartment B having an opening B in its top; a contracted draft-flue B mounted over said opening; a door in one side of the said compartment and a heating device B mounted within said compartment, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affiX my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

JOHN HERBERT SEMMESA Witnesses:

W. H. HALL, A. J. WIMBERLY. 

